I almost didn't write this review. I didn't want to write something which seemed overwhelmingly positive, that read as if I loved this simply because I well and truly love Lorde's music and art. However I'm struggling to find many flaws in Melodrama, and that's why I have to write this.
Lorde's sophomore album largely follows a messy night of emotions, alcohol, music and vibes. It's a house party of an album. It's truly like peaking into your past, those late teen parties that would be amazing, something you'd either look forward to for weeks or something you ended up at extremely last minute. You'd know there would be drama, you know you'd say something dumb and drink too much and dance with your friends and people you've not seen before or since.
The relatability is high. And it's even higher because Melodrama clearly wasn't written to be relatable, it was written to be real; it's exactly that which makes it so incredible relatable. Sober and Homemade Dynamite remind me of so many college parties, of so many drunken nights out in Liverpool that started with a few drinks in my extreme-edge-of-the-city-centre flat.
Lyrically it's a wonder, 'Bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark' and the simple 'They'll hang us in the Louvre, down the back, but who cares- still the Louvre' are my personal favourites. Melodrama is a painting made of words, metaphors and images. It's all any writers dream of, I'm a writer in a very different capacity than Ella, yet I still long to turn my keyboard clack into brush strokes.
My one 'complaint' would be the album length, it's pretty short after waiting 4 years for an album. However, unlike how I've felt with other albums coming after a long wait, I believe this has 0 filler. Each track is important and carefully crafted, all a piece in the puzzle of melodrama. Nothing is out of place, nothing else is needed, Melodrama may be short but she is complete.
Melodrama is exactly what it needs to be: a self-referencing masterpiece explaining the messiness of relationship, parties and life in your late teens. I struggle to give this album anything less than a perfect score. 4 years was a hell of a long time to wait, but I'd wait double that if it meant Lorde LP3 would be as incredible as this.
Good going Ella.
Lorde has been one of my favourite artists for a long time. Pure Heroine has had a profound effect on my life, I truly hope Melodrama can do the same.
